Tropical Cyclone Freda has struck the Solomon Islands, bringing heavy rains and winds of up to 130 kilometres per hour. <\/p>\n
Witnesses say roofs have been ripped off houses and trees have been flattened, while rising rivers caused flooding in some areas. <\/p>\n
There are no reports of deaths or injuries. <\/p>\n
Sajay Prakesh of the Nadi Tropical Cyclone Centre in Fiji said although the cyclone was moving away, parts of the Solomon Islands were being hit by \"very strong winds and heavy rain\". <\/p>\n
\"Cyclone Freda is now a category two cyclone and it is continuing to intensify,\" he said on Saturday afternoon. <\/p>\n
\"It will become category-three by midnight tonight, having very destructive winds.\" <\/p>\n
Coastal and low-lying areas are at risk of inundation and fishermen have been advised to stay away from the sea. <\/p>\n
Matthew Bass from the Bureau of Meteorology in Brisbane says Freda is no longer expected to hit Vanuatu and New Caledonia in the coming days. <\/p>\n
\"At this stage it's expected to maintain a reasonably southerly path and with that it isn't directly expected to affect Vanuatu in the next couple of days,\" he said. <\/p>\n
\"At this stage around New Year's we're expecting it to be quite far from New Caledonia, still to the north-east of the islands.\" <\/p>\n
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Intensifying cyclone strikes Solomon Islands<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tropical Cyclone Freda has struck the Solomon Islands, bringing heavy rains and winds of up to 130 kilometres per hour. Witnesses say roofs have been ripped off houses and trees have been flattened, while rising rivers caused flooding in some areas Continue reading